In the past week, Hamas has handed over the remains of 13 bodies, 12 of which have been identified as hostages.
Israel has released 150 bodies of Palestinians back to Gaza, including 15 on Sunday, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government.
Rafah border crossing Israel didn’t open the Rafah border crossing on Sunday, in an attempt to pressure Hamas to return more hostages’ bodies.
Hamas says it needs special equipment to locate the bodies of additional hostages, but Israel believes Hamas has access to more bodies than it has returned.
The Rafah crossing was the only one not controlled by Israel before the war.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Despite strikes exchanged between Israel and militants in southern Gaza on Sunday, Israel identified the bodies of two hostages freed by Hamas overnight, marking the start of the second phase of ceasefire talks, according to the Palestinian organization.
Sonthaya Oakkharasri, a Thai agricultural worker killed at Kibbutz Be’eri, and Ronen Engel, a father of three from Kibbutz Nir Oz, were identified by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office as the deceased.
Both were thought to have died in the October attack on southern Israel, which was led by Hamas. 7, 2023, and their remains were transported to Gaza. Two of Engel’s three children and his wife, Karina, were abducted and freed in November 2023 as part of a ceasefire.
Israel, meanwhile, threatened to close the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza “until further notice.”. Reopening Rafah will depend on how Hamas fulfills its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all 28 hostages who have died, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
Twelve of the 13 bodies that Hamas has turned over in the last week have been identified as hostages. According to Israel, one of the bodies that was released wasn’t that of a hostage.
Israel has returned 150 Palestinian bodies to Gaza, including 15 on Sunday, the Gaza Health Ministry, which is a part of the government controlled by Hamas, said. Israel has not disclosed the bodies’ identities or the cause of their deaths. To aid families and relatives trying to find their loved ones, the ministry has put pictures of dozens of bodies on its website. However, the bodies were decomposed, blackened, and some had missing limbs and teeth. According to the Health Ministry, only 25 bodies have been identified.
In the first phase of the ceasefire that the United States has proposed, the transfer of the remains of dead hostages and prisoners is still a significant problem, even after Israel and Hamas traded 20 living hostages for over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. A. Donald Trump, the President. The other main concern is a significant increase in aid, including the opening of the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian aid and people traveling into or out of Gaza.
Disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawal from other areas it controls in Gaza, and future governance of the devastated territory will be the main topics of the ceasefire’s subsequent phases.
the second stage.
According to the agreed-upon ceasefire lines, the Israeli military reported on Sunday that militants had fired at troops in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is under Israeli control. Reports of injuries were zero. A top Hamas official denied Hamas’ involvement. Israel and Hamas have made accusations against one another for breaking the precarious ceasefire.
Hamas claims that negotiations have started with mediators to begin the ceasefire’s second phase.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem stated late Saturday that national agreement is necessary for the second stage of negotiations. Without giving any additional information, he added that Hamas has started talks to “solidify its positions.”.
Trump’s plan calls for the disarmament of Hamas and the creation of an internationally supported government to govern the beleaguered Gaza Strip as part of the negotiations.
Kassem restated that the group will not be a part of the post-war Gaza government. He said that in order to prevent a power vacuum, Hamas-run government entities in the Gaza Strip are managing daily operations.
The void is extremely dangerous, so government agencies in Gaza continue to carry out their responsibilities. This will continue until an administrative committee is established and approved by all Palestinian factions, he stated.
Kassem demanded the quick creation of a Community Support Committee, which would be composed of Palestinian technocrats and would oversee daily operations.
border crossing in Rafah.
To put pressure on Hamas to return more hostage bodies, Israel closed the Rafah border crossing on Sunday. While Hamas claims it requires specialized tools to find the remains of more hostages, Israel thinks Hamas has access to more bodies than it has brought back.
The only border crossing that Israel did not control prior to the war was Rafah. Since Israel seized control of the Gaza side in May 2024, it has been closed. Tens of thousands of Palestinians live in Egypt; a fully reopened crossing would facilitate their travel, medical care, and family visits.
Palestinians who want to enter or exit Gaza through the Rafah crossing must follow the procedures announced by the Interior Ministry of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah on Sunday. Staff from the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo will be available at the crossing to provide temporary travel documents that permit entry into Egypt to those wishing to depart Gaza. Palestinians must apply for the necessary entry documents at the embassy in Cairo in order to enter the Gaza Strip.
The Health Ministry, a division of the Hamas-led government in the region, has reported that over 68,000 Palestinians have died in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The United States considers its numbers to be a trustworthy estimate of wartime fatalities. No. organizations and numerous independent specialists. Israel has denied them without citing a toll of its own.
The Red Cross reports that thousands more people are still missing.
In the attack that started the war, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and kidnapped 251 others.
US claim rejected by Hamas.
On Sunday, the group rejected a U.S. claim. A. The State Department claimed to have reliable information about an impending planned Hamas attack on Gaza residents.
“This proposed assault on Palestinian civilians would be a clear and serious breach of the ceasefire agreement and jeopardize the substantial advancements made through mediation efforts,” the U.S. A. The State Department said in a statement on Saturday.
The claim was referred to as “false allegations” by Hamas, which also charged Israel with aiding armed groups that operate in areas under Israeli control. Hamas pushed for the U. S. Israel should be under pressure from the administration to cease “providing them a safe haven” and aiding the gangs. “”.
At least two armed groups that the group claims are involved in aid looting and working with Israel clashed with Hamas-led fighters in eastern Gaza City. In street killings that were widely denounced, they publicly executed a few suspects.
The government of Hamas, which includes the Interior Ministry, claims that its troops were attempting to reestablish law and order in all of the areas where Israel’s military withdrew after the ceasefire.
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